Major flooding brings evacuations, road closures to Oregon Coast, Lincoln City, Otis

NESKOWIN, Ore. — Downpours across northwestern Oregon, particularly in coastal communities in Lincoln and Tillamook counties, saw severe flooding Friday. Swollen rivers blocked roadways, threatened homes and trapped people.

At least two RV parks — one in Neskowin and one in Otis — were flooded and evacuated Friday morning. U.S. Highway 101 is seeing slow travel due to high water.

High water prompted the closure of Highway 18 at milepost 1, near the interchange with Highway 101 outside Otis.

Numerous rivers and creeks reached minor flood stage on the northern Oregon Coast, including the Siletz, Nestucca, Salmon, Trask and Wilson rivers. The rivers appear likely to crest Friday afternoon before dropping Friday night and Saturday, according to National Weather Service river gauges.

A NWS watch for flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible is effect until 6 a.m. Saturday for the Central Oregon Coast from Lincoln City to Florence and Veneta.

NWS said that in the past 24 hours, Tillamook and Lincoln counties have received between 2.77 and 4.04 inches of rain.

Residents in Neskowin and Otis flooded, evacuated

The park near Neskowin flooded Friday morning as deep water, fueled by rain and high tide, collected in the low-lying areas. Some people within the park were able to drive out before the water levels rose drastically, but dozens remain trapped.

U.S. Coast Guard estimates the number of people still in the RV park at around 50. Aircrews have evacuated 10 people and one dog, the Coast Guard said on social media.

The Coast Guard has two helicopters on the scene, evacuating people by air. Four local agencies also are responding. There are rescue boats and swimmers to aid with the evacuation as well.

In some parts of the RV park, floodwaters have risen to 4 feet or more.

An officer from Nestucca Fire and Rescue on the scene said the RV park has been "all hands on deck" since 7:30 a.m. when they were first notified of the flooding.

Since then, Tillamook County Sheriff, Lincoln Water Rescue, and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department have been aiding Nestucca Fire and the Coast Guard. Buses from the local school district have been helping move those who have been evacuated from the park.

A different RV Park in Otis, along the Salmon River outside Lincoln City, also is seeing flooding, according to Lincoln County Emergency Management, which posted dramatic pictures of homes surrounded by water Friday morning. The town of Otis overall has seen dramatically high water as the Salmon River overflows its banks.

Ecola State Park south of Cannon Beach has been closed, likely into next week, state officials said Friday.

"Heavy rains and subsurface water flow beneath the entrance road caused a sinkhole and a void beneath the roadway," the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said. "When the rain stops, we can take a closer look and figure out the next steps."

Road closures

As of Friday afternoon, Lincoln County emergency services reported two road closures:

• East Devils Lake Road at Mile Post 3.2 at Hill Road junction (East of Lincoln City Outlet mall area)

• South Drift Creek Road at Mile Post 1.5 to 1.8 (East of Cutler City area)

Sandbag station open

Lincoln County offices a self-service sandbag station open.

Location: 510 NE Harney St., Newport

Open to the public: No charge, but bring your own shovel.

Community members can utilize up to 10 sandbags and sand per person to protect property from flooding

Northern and central coast

Elsewhere on the northern and central coast, rising water levels, falling trees and landslides are putting people and homes at risk and making it difficult for people to move to safety.

"It's a pretty anomalous meteorological event, with one wave of rain after another over the same area," said John Bumgardner, a meteorologist with the Portland NWS.

Astoria, in the state’s far northwest corner, set a new record for rainfall Thursday with just over 2 inches of rain, the most since the previous record for the date set 70 years ago.

A flood watch was in effect for several counties on the Oregon Coast and standing water in the roadways made driving treacherous across the Portland metropolitan area.

Landslides were reported on the coast and along the Columbia River Highway east of Portland.

The storm also caused a power outage that closed several schools and district offices in Lake Oswego, a suburb south of Portland.

Western Washington state

In Washington, advisories were issued for the Skokomish River at Potlatch, the Tolt River above Carnation, the Snoqualmie River near Snoqualmie Falls, the Puyallup River near Orting and the Nisqually River affecting Lewis and Pierce counties.

Forecasters say the storms are being caused by an atmospheric river, known as the Pineapple Express. Rains may ease some Saturday but more precipitation is expected Saturday night through next week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Eddy Binford-Ross is the Outdoors Intern at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at ebinfordross@statesmanjournal.com or follow on Twitter @eddybinfordross.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Major flooding brings evacuations, road closures to Lincoln City area